Admission Information
Applicants are admitted to the practice of law in New York State through one of the four departments of the Supreme Court Appellate Division. Applicants for Admission by Examination must satisfy the eligibility requirements of Court of Appeals Rule 520.3, 520.4, 520.5, 520.6 or 520.17 and take and pass the UBE, NYLE and MPRE (See the Bar Exam Eligibility section of the BOLE website). Applicants for Admission on Motion or Reciprocity must meet the eligibility requirements of Court of Appeals Rule 520.10 (See the Reciprocity/Motion Section of the BOLE website).
After an applicant takes and passes the UBE, NYLE and MPRE or satisfies the educational requirements for Admission on Motion/Reciprocity, the State Board of Law Examiners will issue a Notice of Certification certifying the applicant to one of the four departments of the Supreme Court Appellate Division based on the applicant’s address. Please see the List of Counties in Judicial Department link below to determine the department where you will be assigned for certification. Applicants who do not reside within New York State are certified to the Third Department unless they are employed full-time within the State.
To access the Application for Admission and other forms required for admission click on the appropriate link below to the department of the Appellate Division where you have been or will be certified based on your residence address. Out of state residents are certified to the Third Department. All questions related to the Application for Admission, Character and Fitness and the Swearing-In Ceremony should be directed to the Appellate Division. The Board of Law Examiners is unable to answer questions about the Application for Admission
| First Department | (646) 386-5893 |
| Second Department | (718) 923-6360 |
| Third Department | (518) 471-4778 |
| Fourth Department | (585) 530-3100 |
List of Counties in Judicial Departments
If you change your address before you receive your results from the bar examination, you must immediately notify the Board of such change by logging into your BOLE Account and changing your residence address. Changes which will affect the department where you will be certified to must be made by October 1 for a July Bar Exam and April 1 for a February exam. If you change your address after you have been issued a Notice of Certification you must change your address with the Appellate Division.
Section 520.12(d)(1) of the Rules of the New York State Court of Appeals for the Admission of Attorneys and Counselors at Law requires applicants to file the complete application for admission with the Supreme Court, Appellate Division within three (3) years from the date when the applicant sat for the second day of the Uniform Bar Examination, whether taken in New York or in another jurisdiction. Pursuant to Section 520.12(d)(2) applicants who passed the bar examination administered prior to July 2016 must file the complete application for admission within three (3) years from the date of the letter sent by the Board notifying the applicant that the applicant passed the bar examination. A failure to timely file the application for admission may result in the applicant having to re-sit the bar examination.
PRO BONO REQUIREMENT
On September 14, 2012, the New York State Court of Appeals adopted a new rule requiring applicants who successfully pass the bar examination in New York State to perform 50 hours of pro bono services before applying for admission to practice. Applicants seeking admission to practice after January 1, 2015, must demonstrate compliance with this requirement. Please note that this requirement does NOT apply to applicants seeking admission on motion pursuant to Rule 520.10. For more information, please see
http://www.nycourts.gov/attorneys/probono/baradmissionreqs.shtml